Black Bean & Zucchini Chili
The weather has quickly turned a corner here at Tumbleweed Farm and we are loving the cooler days. In fact, not only has it become chilly but we’ve gotten rain twice this week! If you ever want to see a couple of farmers cry with pure joy just visit a farm after a drought and watch them dance around in the pouring rain with arms wide open. We loved every second of getting soaked!
Obviously the cooler weather means it’s time to start whipping up heartier meals. We’re still harvesting a ton of summer produce so I won’t be posting any fall meals for a while. With that being said, I still wanted to share a warming summer chili with you all to celebrate the first “true” rain of the season. This chili was the recipe of the week for our CSA members and I know they’ll love cooking this up with all of their Tumbleweed produce. This recipe calls for a bottle of beer and if you live near Migration Brewing (in Portland) definitely fill up a growler of pale ale and use some in this recipe. Obviously, you can use any pale ale but the folks at Migration are the absolute best and have treated us very well this season. Migration Brewing is where we drop off our CSA shares and the kind folks there reserve a special part of the bar for us and our members to sit and enjoy beer together every week. They totally rule! Anyhow, we hope you all enjoy this chili as much as we do. Cheers to the rain!
Black Bean & Zucchini Chili
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves: 4-6
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sized onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 bell peppers, roughly chopped
- 1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 medium sized zucchini/summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- healthy pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 (12oz) bottle pale ale preferably from Migration Brewing!
- 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- salt + pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro
- full fat greek yogurt for serving
- fresh lime juice for serving
Preparation
- Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, bell peppers, jalapeño, and zucchini. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and continue to cook, stirring often, for about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute, stirring often. Deglaze the pan by pouring in the 12 ounces of beer. Add the black beans and 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper
- Serve with minced cilantro, a dollop of greek yogurt and freshly squeezed lime juice
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *Taste test as you go *Have fun in the kitchen
So glad for you guys that the rain has come. Here’s to the beautiful period between summer and fall.
Thanks too for sharing this gorgeous recipe
Man, I think of chili season as months away still, but it’s actually starting here in Switzerland too as it just turned cool and rainy. Love both the zucchini and beer in your chili!
Sounds delicious, our weather in Eastern Washington has just taken a turn into being “chili weather” 😉
Your spicy black bean and sweet potato stew is a staple in our house (leftovers in the fridge right now!) and so I just know this will be a great alternative!
Nice. Will have to try this. You don’t mention when to put in the beans. I assume it’s after deglazing the pan. Also, no tomatoes?
I made this and it was a crowd pleaser. I tweaked it just a bit by adding corn and sour cream instead of yogurt. Plus a little more heat!